


Camp Skull and Crossbones

by DivineWriting



Series: A New Perspective [2]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Folklore, Legends, Native American/First Nations Legends & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 22:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17969060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineWriting/pseuds/DivineWriting
Summary: In addition to dream walking, Sam discovers another power during summer camp at Lake Eerie. After the defeat of Walker and freedom of Wulf, they encounter another spectral entity. Though Sam's powers pose advantageous in the defeat of this new ghost, they become a burden in her battle of feelings for her best friend.





	Camp Skull and Crossbones

**Author's Note:**

> Sort of a continuation of my first piece!

It had been a few weeks since we -officially- defeated Nocturn. The dream walking ceased after the night I spent with Danny, well… for now. I kept thinking back on that adventure, since it was considerably different from any of the other ghost hunts I’ve had with my two best friends. 

I kept reliving the way Danny touched me, the way he dreamed about cuddling with me every night. I thought about the words I had said to him before we both woke up and acted like the whole thing never happened. He didn’t remember any of it of course, but I did. And I will never forget it. 

I also felt a sense of responsibility that I had never felt before. Even though Danny has always had the ghost powers, and always will, my ability to visit the minds of those around me was essential in the defeat of Nocturn. As we had tried to figure out this dreamscape puzzle, I felt… well… stressed. If I hadn’t spotted Nocturn, I would have been partially responsible for my best friend’s demise, and that scared me. Now I realize the pressure Danny feels every day, trying to protect the ones he loves. 

But that was all over now and my two best friends and I could enjoy our summer out in the wilderness. Despite our little rendezvous with Wulf and Walker, our camping trip was fairly relaxing. We did all the daily camping activities: fishing, hiking, swimming, climbing, etc. Danny would still break Tucker and I out of our cabins to go ghost hunting at night. We agreed it was to make sure everyone was safe, but I think we honestly just couldn’t get enough of it. And we had pretty shitty roommates, so it was nice to spend some time away from them. 

This was my favorite part of the camping trip. Not only did I get to spend time with my two best friends, I got to witness the best view around… the twinkling night sky. Besides Tucker’s flashlight and Danny’s glowing hand, the forest was pitch black. You could see practically every single star in the sky, all working together to form stories of the past. 

One late night, as we were scoping out our surroundings, I fell to the floor in a deep squat, holding my head. I stared at the colorless dirt as I tried to make the pain underneath my skull subside. The earth spun around me, I felt nauseous, and I swear someone was sticking needles into my scalp. 

“Sam, are you okay?” I heard Danny’s concerned voice above me. 

“Shit, I don’t know,” I moaned quietly, my agony evident in my voice. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder as I sat hidden in my hands. I jolted with surprise, peaking out of my palms to see a water bottle shoved into my face. 

“Here, Sam. Drink some water,” Danny insisted as he crouched down behind me. I was so uneasy, but his voice was sweet and calming.  
It took me a second to realize how close Danny’s face was to mine as he handed me the drink. He retracted slowly once I grasped the bottle, his white hair grazing my neck. It tickled, but then it suddenly made me unsettled. I felt both concern and guilt swiftly run through my blood. How was it that I went from feeling intense pain to feeling intense anxiety in less than a second? 

“Sam?” I heard once again, the same chilly hand grabbing at my forearm. 

“What?” I barked, the touch of Danny’s glove making me twitch once again. I reacted a little too much this time as I sent the contents of the water bottle flying into my lap, making me cry with discomfort. 

“Fuck!” I cursed as I quickly stood up, my skirt soaked with cold water. 

“What is up with you?” Tucker asked with concern, taking the bottle from my hand. As his fingers slightly slid against mine, I felt his hidden amusement at my embarrassing situation. It was almost as if he transferred his slapstick delight to me because I began laughing hysterically. 

Danny and Tucker stood still, staring at me bent over, my hands resting on my knees as I shed tears of hilarity. Tucker then began to loosen up, letting out his subjugated laughter. 

“Is this a joke? Sam I was actually very worried about you!” Danny fumed, shifting back into his human self as he stomped ahead. 

“Danny wait,” I insisted apologetically, catching my breath. I snagged his wrist before he could get too far away and a wave of anger swept over me, “fine, go on your stupid ghost rounds without us!” 

He was mad at me? I was the one with the massive migraine, I was the one who had a sopping wet skirt! What was he angry about? Wait… what was I angry about?

He turned around, searching me for an apology, but I could only stare at him blankly. I was computing what was happening. Was I feeling everyone else’s emotions? Was I experiencing what it felt to be truly empathetic? Was this another power of mine?

“I’m sorry,” I said, taking a long, deep breath, “ever since we put Nocturn away I’ve been having such strange experiences.” 

“Like more strange than slipping into my dream that I don’t even remember?”

“Well, just today I’ve been feeling these weird, like… electrical charges every time my skin makes direct contact with someone else’s. And then I can feel this… energy,” I tried to explain but my observations sounded like I had just taken LSD. 

“What kind of energy?” Danny asked, listening to my words and thankfully not thinking I was tripping. 

He stood there, gazing deep into my eyes and I couldn’t help but just drift into his glistening blue ones. I refused to look away, even when I spotted a faint green glow in the bottom corner of my eye. He transformed into his ghost form and I watched as his eyes shifted from ocean blue to ectoplasmic green. 

“Like this energy?” Danny smiled, holding up a swarming green ball in his hand, courtesy of his ghost powers. 

Slightly annoyed that he was fucking around when I was serious, I rolled my eyes. But as he smiled that adorable, dorky smile, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not quite, but good try ghost boy,” I giggled, pushing back his treasured power, “I can feel emotional energy.”

“Like half-ass mind reading?” Danny joked. 

“Ha. Ha.” I replied sarcastically. 

“Aren’t humans already kind of capable of empathy?” Danny asked, his tone now a little more serious. 

“Yeah, to a degree. But throughout evolution we’ve become pretty good at hiding our true feelings,” I insisted. 

“You got that right,” Danny said softly, turning his head as his cheeks grew a rosy hue. 

Was he referring to what I thought he was referring to? Is he possibly hiding feelings from me? Feelings for me?

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, the words just spilling out of my mouth.

“I don’t know Sam, I guess I just… I-” and before he could finish his sentence, a wild Tucker Foley stumbles in, right on cue. I had completely forgotten about him; I was completely preoccupied with the previous conversation. He must have fallen behind as Danny and I were discussing our thoughts, walking just as fast as they had been spewing out of our mouths. 

“Was I interrupting something?” Tucker asked as he caught his breath, noticing our quiet demeanor. 

“Nope,” Danny replied all too quickly, almost relieved. 

“Tucker, I can read minds,” I said, catching his eyes with a straight face.

“I don’t appreciate the sass,” Tucker groaned. 

I grabbed his elbow and gripped it tight. Tucker felt a sense of guilt… for impeding on whatever Danny and I were doing. Then he felt curious, picturing Danny and I doing something naughty as we were cut off from civilization. Then he felt amused, imagining a scenario with him and Star doing obscene acts out there in the darkness, touching each other under the light of the moon. 

“Oh God,” I winced, immediately releasing him, “get your mind out of the gutter!” 

“Hey don’t deny the idea hasn’t popped into your mind,” Tucker insisted seductively. 

“What?” Danny asked, feeling left out. 

“He’s fantasizing about doing Star out here in the woods,” I described, rolling my eyes at his boyish nature. 

“It wouldn’t be a bad location. Right underneath a sky full of stars would be pretty exhilarating,” Danny’s words trailed off in a haze, but when he glanced at me between his poetic sex scenario, he chuckled nervously, turning back to Tucker, “I mean, you got to do all that romantic shit, if you’d want her to put out for a geek like you.” 

“Nah, she would just melt into me once she realized how actually charming I am,” Tucker jabbed, crossing his arms with confidence. 

Frightened, yet pleased to get out of this douchebag conversation, I heard a faint scream in the distance. It was more like a shriek of terror that happened to raise my awareness.

“Did you guys hear that?” I asked, my heart now racing. 

“No, what happened?” Danny asked, not realizing his hand was grazing my lower back. If I hadn’t been so freaked out, I would’ve really enjoyed that. 

“There was a loud scream from inside the woods like-” I explained, though I heard the scream again, only louder. 

“Over there!” I shouted, and despite the darkness and the unknown origin of the noises, I instinctively ran towards them. 

I sprinted through the woods with only a pitch-black view. I don’t know what coerced me towards the screams; any sane person would have run the opposite direction. But I could feel the pain and fear and helplessness amongst the sound waves and I just couldn’t stand idly by. 

I ran until I approached a small creek and an open area between the lines of trees. With the glow of the moonlight, I was able to spot a man and two little boys, all tied up against a tree. 

“Hey you got to get out of here!” The father warned once he noticed me emerge from the forest. 

“What happened?” I inquired, jumping to the tied-up trio. I frantically searched for a knot or something that I could use to release them.

“I have no clue. Some witch or ghost or something… well it looked like a woman- a zombie woman. She- she put some kind of spell or mind control on my buddy. Jake here’s dad. He bound us to this tree and mindlessly followed her down that road there-” the man explained with a strong Canadian accent. 

At that moment I heard Tucker fumble from out of the trees, followed by Danny’s bright green glow. The two young boys and man all screamed at the ghost boy on cue. 

“Shh! It’s okay, he’s with me.” I assured them, “I’m not a witch I promise! We came from Mess Hall, just down the road there…”

“Wait, that site is like almost two miles away- how did you hear us?” The father wondered skeptically. 

“We… snuck out a little ways away from camp to smoke weed,” Tucker interrupted, saving me from an already crazy conversation. The father made a ‘makes sense’ expression and I sighed with relief. 

“So this ghost-witch… thing… what did she want?” I asked. 

The man squirmed a bit within the binds of the rope before replying that he had no idea. 

“Shit, sorry. Danny, can you get them out?” I requested, pointing to the rope. 

Danny pointed a finger and aimed it at the rope and emitted a ray, slicing clean through it. The pieces fell and the three males were released, the boys smiling with relief and amazement. If y'all think that’s cool, you should see all the other shit this kid can do, I thought as I smiled. 

“You said they went that way, right?” I asked, pointing down the creek. The man shook his head confirming my orientation. 

“Tucker, you help them find their way back to camp. Danny and I will go after this… thing who took their friend,” I directed. 

“On it. Danny do you have the thermos this time?” Tucker teased. Danny pulled out the thermos confidently and Tucker replied with a thumbs up, taking off with the boy scouts in the opposite direction. 

“You think they will be okay” Danny asked as he watched the boys disappear into the darkness. He was distracted, unaware of how close he was floating towards me. 

“Yeah!” I said, trying to ignore the hormones pulsing against my skin, “I trust Tucker, I mean, he has saved both of our asses like several times.” 

“You’re right. I just worry, alot.” Danny said so quietly that it must have been to himself. I began in the direction of this witch ghost creature and Danny followed. 

“I know, overprotective SOB,” I joked, nudging him. He returned a little chuckle. 

“I guess it’s just the fact that I was given these powers for a reason. I mean, anyone else could have walked into that portal and gone through the exact same thing as I did. Anyone else would probably be putting them to better use than I am, so I have no idea why I ended up with them. I’ve always been just some average dude. I guess I just want to prove to the world… prove to myself… that I deserve them,” Danny vented as we trudged through the forest. 

“Danny, as envious as I’ve always been of your powers, and Tucker for sure-” 

“Yeah, I remember that whole Desiree sitch-” 

“Exactly! I’m not hippie dippie or anything but I know that everything that happens, happens for a reason. Especially Danny Fenton becoming Danny Phantom. It’s in your name dude, you fucking deserve it,” I replied, the truth leaking from my mouth like lava. 

I saw him blush and I realized that I had my hand wrapped around his through our whole conversation. I withdrew it quickly but his emotions followed. I felt his flattered ego lift with confidence. I felt a sense of fulfillment and optimism inundate my body despite the forthcoming battle we were expecting. I felt anxiety and doubt fade into nothingness as clarity and appreciation emerged. It was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life. I could tell it was the most significant compliment he had ever received. 

As my boots clamored through the weeds and Danny’s light rays emitted a subtle, low frequency noise, the peaceful silence was quickly interrupted by a vigorous and painful energy.

I let out a slight grunt, feeling my heart sink and my body experience a sample of the desperation in the distance. 

“Sam!” Danny gasped and quickly approached me. He took me in his arms, his chest so close I could detect his heart pumping vigorously. I immediately felt his concern and tried to ignore the pain. I then regrouped and rushed towards the source.

I found a man lying on the ground, deep, bloody scratches all over his body. He looked as if he were unconscious, maybe dead. I advanced towards the wounded victim and placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. I luckily found one, but tears of pain flew down my face as I felt his agony. 

“You need to get out of here, simply looking into her eyes is damning,” the man weakly whispered to me. Who the fuck is he talking about, I thought, now on high alert. 

Suddenly, Danny tumbled out of the tree next to me, hitting each branch all the way down. He moaned in pain, slowly rolling over to stand. He must have already found the ‘her’ to which this man was referring. 

“Some witch ghost. She’s powerful. It’s like everything I threw at her goes straight through her,” Danny announced. The two males surrounding me were on the same page, but I was still confused. Though there was no time for explanations, we had to somehow kill this ghost without making eye contact with it. 

“Whatever you do, Danny. Don’t look into her eyes.” I warned as he shot up into the air to fight the creature. I saw a black shadow fly across the sky, then Danny’s green rays following. 

And Danny was right, his rays were going right through her as she continued to fly around in the air. However, one of his green balls of energy collided with the shrubs only feet away from the man and I, sending the timber into flames. I watched the fire begin to grow, until I was attacked by a strong spectral force. 

My head slammed against the cold dirt, as my body was pinned down by this evil entity. I closed my eyes, refusing to let them meet hers. Fear struck me like a stake in my gut, struggling to escape from her grasp. But then I was suddenly aware of the relatively tame bonfire near us, and it somehow frightened me to my core. 

It was then that I realized I was actually feeling her fear, not my own. 

“Danny, the fire!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes closed. 

“What about it?” He asked, recovering from his last blow. 

“Use it against her!” I demanded. 

I felt a waft of heat cross within my vicinity and the weight holding me down disappeared. I opened one eye carefully to see what had happened and found Danny’s nose about a foot above mine. His arms were outstretched on either side of my neck, supporting his body now resting on top of mine. 

“I uh… fell.” He mumbled, flashing a charming smile, “but ding-dong the witch is dead!”

We both giggled, and I let out a sigh of relief. The way he leaned on top of me, his lower body fully pressed against mine, was so sensual. I stared into his bright green eyes above me, his white hair hanging down in his face so elegantly. His smile slowly faded from his lips, and as he began lowering himself down to where our faces were only centimeters apart, my heart stopped. 

“Is she gone?” A deep voice inquired loudly beside us, interrupting our intimate moment. We both turned our heads towards it, flinching with surprise as we knocked foreheads. The collision made Danny roll off of me and rub his head as he winced. 

“Uh, yeah. The fire basically incinerated her,” Danny explained, completely caught off guard. 

“You could say she got burned!” I joked, my voice still slightly shaky with surprise. 

“Where are we? Have you seen the guys I was with? A man and two boy scouts?” The man wondered. His voice revealed how frightened and wary he was, and even through the darkness of the night I saw his eyes sparkle with tears. Oof, maybe not the best time to joke. 

“Yeah, we’ll get you home. And your buddies are safe, our friend helped them back to their campsite,” Danny assured him, rising up from the floor. 

Danny’s palm began to radiate a neon green, and he started off through the trees. The poor man and I followed. It wasn’t until a tiny gleam of sunlight snuck through the trees and the adrenaline in our bodies subsided that we realized we were completely exhausted. 

________________

“So you think those kids are scarred for life?” Tucker asked as he played tetris with all of his gadgets in his suitcase. 

I was sitting on a bed inside Tucker and Danny’s cabin, watching them shove their belongings into their suitcases. We were about to take the bus back to Amity Park, and as much as I was going to miss our little adventures there, I was definitely ready to go home. 

“Probably. I’m more worried about the dad who got fucked up by that witch, he’ll probably need some serious therapy,” Danny responded, packing his second bag of ghost hunting gear, “I’m just glad they are all okay. Well, physically okay.” 

“You too, Sam,” he continued “I got pretty freaked when that ghost witch pinned you down like that. I was at a total loss, I had no idea what to do! But then you came through and really figured that shit out. I can’t imagine what I would do without you.” 

“Hey, you’re the one who burned her off of me. I was pretty relieved to see a ghost boy rather than a ghost witch on top of me,” I responded. I thought about what I had just said and blushed, but Danny just smiled that cute little smile and let it go. 

“Fenton! Foley! Get the fuck out,” Dash shouted, throwing open the rickety door. Paulina was wrapped around his arm, a dumb looking smirk on her face. We all quickly grabbed our belongings and escaped the cabin, knowing full well the couple was about to get in a quickie before the bus departed. 

As we threw our luggage onto the bus, I glimpsed back at the forest surrounding the campsite. Tucker muttered something behind me, creating an uproar of laughter among the three of us. 

“What happens at summer camp, stays at summer camp.”


End file.
